by Bonnie Rennie
In the months before my much-anticipated retirement, I often found myself in this pleasant mental picture: comfy chair, welcoming round table, perhaps a cup of coffee in my hand, sunlit room. Around the table, friendly voices taking turns in animated conversation. A book's story or subject, its merits and flaws, quality of character development, the take-aways we each got from reading that book, and so much more in terms of delightful discussion.
I had listened to sighted coworkers relating their happy book club experiences, with a mixture of envy and eagerness. When I did retire, I set about finding the best book-sharing venue for my needs and abilities.
The term "book club" is a broad one, encompassing myriad styles, genres and formats. One can be integrated into a sighted group that meets in a library, bookstore, church, you name it! Some concentrate on everyone reading the same best-seller, mystery, or poetry. Others may each read a different tome and critique it to the other members. Some people who are visually impaired want to be integrated into a sighted group while others prefer a club of visually impaired peers. Interesting options can be endless and depend on what one wants from the social connection, and how flexible one can be in obtaining the reading material.
Here are just some of the many benefits of joining a book club:
1. Encourages you to keep reading, and getting something from the experience.
2. You get introduced to books, authors, perhaps even genres, that you were unaware of or thought you would not like. Even if you end up not liking that book selection, you may well grow from the exposure.
3. It's an opportunity to develop a sense of community, deeper connections with like-minded people, or just nice folks. These very positive relationships may be forged over time.
4. A great way to stimulate those all-important brain synapses, encouraging your mind to stay active, healthy, and engaged.
5. The club experience is fun, or can be made to be a good time you look forward to.
6. It could be a positive way to promote CCB in your area, attracting potential members who enjoy reading.
In my case, I fell into a book club at the Braille Institute that was starting up, and has run for 6 pleasurable years. We now have an opportunity to move the group to our Orange County past CCB President's home. We hope that this setting will naturally blossom into a place where it's appropriate to highlight the benefits of CCB and the California Library Users of America (CLUA) to the participants.
Speaking of conducive environments, remember, there are many ways to be part of such a wonderful book community. And they do not require one to leave the comfort of home or sit face-to-face. The mighty telephone now offers satisfying gatherings of readers.
Perhaps you know that the CCB affiliate California Library Users of America (CLUA) and the ACB national affiliate Library Users of America (LUA) both hold book discussions throughout the year, via group conference calls. Long distance charges apply, unless you have an unlimited plan. Take it from me, these calls are informative and enjoyable.
A free option is the Senior Center Without Walls book club. It meets on the first and third Saturday afternoons of the month and is called BookShare. Each person who wishes to can talk briefly about a book they've read and recommend. To register and participate, you may call SCWW at 877 797-7299.
I was surprised at how many ways that being a book club member has enhanced my reading experience. For book-lovers, what an enriching avenue to expand our social and literary horizons!
For more information on joining the CCB California Library Users of America, please contact the CCB office. You may ask for my contact info there.
